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Taipei has a Parallel Universe. Find it at Yuemeikang Waterfall

When looking for things to do in Taipei, consider getting outside the city to explore a parallel universe like the Yuemeikang waterfall.(Photos: Sean Marc Lee/ VSCO)

The Yuemeikang waterfall is located in the town of Jiaoxi, famed for its abundance of natural hot springs. It’s only forty minutes by bus from the center of Taipei, but it seems like another world entirely.

There’s a theory that we live not in a singular, standalone universe but in one of several parallel versions that are nearly identical except for at certain small corners.

And visitors to the Yuemeikang waterfall would be forgiven for feeling like they have stepped into one of these places.

Almost 10 stories high, the waterfall is often seen shrouded in mist, looking a little like its hiding behind a hazy veil. It all seems a little alien – and it’s not easy to find, either.

The hike to Yuemeikang, once you’ve unearthed the location of the trail, is relatively painless until you come across a river where shoes and shirts become a hindrance.

From here on in, it’s all about leaping from rocks, twisting under rotting tree stumps and clinging to fraying rope.

But it’s all worth it. Up close, Yuemeikang seems even more otherworldly, and most visitors seem too tired to whip out smartphones to snap selfies in the haze.

It’s certainly fitting for a half-hidden waterfall from a parallel universe.